1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to covalent modification of surface protein or carbohydrate of a virus for enhancing immunogenicity of the virus.
2. Related Art
A vaccine inoculation administered to a person may comprise a live attenuated virus (e.g., a polio virus) for eliciting an immune response that enables the person to develop an immunity to being subsequently infected by the virus. Although the vaccine may be effective for a majority of people so inoculated, unfortunately a small percentage of people so inoculated actually develop the viral disease associated with the virus. Thus, it is desirable to maintain or enhance the effectiveness of the vaccine for immunization purposes, while at the same time reduce or eliminate the risk of contracting the viral disease as a result of being inoculated by the vaccine.
The present invention provides a method for forming a viral-physiological structure, comprising:
providing a naked virus having a capsid; and
covalently bonding a linker molecule to the capsid, wherein a polymer is covalently attached to the linker molecule to form a polymer-protected virus, and wherein an immunogenicity of the polymer-protected virus with respect to an animal exceeds an immunogenicity of the naked virus with respect to the animal.
The present invention provides a viral-physiological structure, comprising:
a naked virus having a capsid; and
means for covalently bonding a linker molecule to the capsid, wherein a polymer is covalently attached to the linker molecule to form a polymer-protected virus, and wherein an immunogenicity of the polymer-protected virus with respect to an animal exceeds an immunogenicity of the naked virus with respect to the animal.
The present invention provides a viral-physiological structure, comprising:
a naked virus having a capsid; and
a linker molecule covalently bonded to the capsid, wherein a polymer is covalently attached to the linker molecule to form a polymer-protected virus, and wherein an immunogenicity of the polymer-protected virus with respect to an animal exceeds an immunogenicity of the naked virus with respect to the animal.
The present invention maintains or enhances the effectiveness of a vaccine for immunizing a person or non-human animal to viral disease associated with a virus, while at the same time reduces or eliminates the risk of contracting the viral disease as a result of being inoculated by the vaccine.